Waves to launch blockchain venture capital fund

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

Waves, the blockchain trading and custom asset/token generation platform announced today it will play a major role in creating a new blockchain venture product. ‘The Basics Fund’ will be dedicated to investment in blockchain assets and infrastructure. An initial $10M investment is sought for January ’18, with a goal of $30M by April.

The fund will look to combine the best of venture funds and hedge funds — investing in a diversified portfolio of promising start-up projects in the blockchain space. Assets and activity will include established crypto-assets and pre-sale ICO tokens, as well as arbitrage and event-oriented trading.

Strategy and expertise

The Fund will draw on the expertise of both experienced hedge fund managers and key members of the Waves team, including the platform’s CEO, Alexander Ivanov. Investments will be made in unique blockchain solutions with a real-world application. The fund will look for projects underpinned by strong technology and teams with an established track record. Ten-fold growth over the course of 2–3 years is expected, vastly outpacing all traditional markets.

Sasha Ivanov, founder of Waves Platform

“As the most enterprise-ready blockchain platform in the world, it is important that Waves is at the forefront of every aspect of the emerging crypto economy,” comments Alexander Ivanov. “That means technological excellence, but it also means shaping the regulatory landscape and actively furthering use cases for every sector. In this instance, we’re very proud to be partnering with experts from the asset management industry and launching a new blockchain Fund for mainstream investors, which will pioneer best practices and showcase the strength of blockchain technology to a new market.”

Waves founder and CEO Alexander Ivanov will be a key advisor and principal for the Basics Fund, a diversified portfolio of crypto assets, alongside professionals in the venture capital industry.

In addition to Alexander Ivanov, who is a well-known name in the blockchain space, the Fund will be managed by Maxim Kuzin, a highly experienced asset manager. The project will take the form of a Cayman Islands GP/LP Venture Fund.

Benefits

Whilst the Basics Fund has similarities to classical venture capital funds, the emphasis on blockchain solutions means there are a number of key differences. Token transactions are fast and low-cost, compared to those in VC funds, which can take months to complete and be subject to high fees. Additionally, exits in blockchain projects may be secured after as little as two months, with tokens benefiting from high liquidity — in stark contrast to the illiquidity of most VC funds.